Coffee for Office Workers

At half past seven in the morning in Vietnam's big cities, commuters stop at roadside coffee counters and carry iced milk coffee into the lift. For many office workers, the working day doesn't really start until the first coffee is on the desk.

The 8-to-5 rhythm has its own pauses, and coffee tends to show up right at those points.

How many cups in a working day?

There is no fixed rule, but office days often have a few familiar coffee moments:

The pantry — where coffee is made and conversations happen

In many offices, the coffee corner is the liveliest spot. A small table with a kettle, a few phins, a tin of ground coffee, instant sachets and a jar of condensed milk. Whoever arrives first brews first; whoever comes later "borrows" a little.

The minutes spent waiting for the phin to drip are when colleagues catch up, settle a quick question or swap weekend stories. More ideas are born in the pantry than in the meeting room.

In some places, "going for coffee" is a team activity too. At the end of the week or after finishing a project, the whole department heads downstairs, everyone with a cup, work talk mixed with life talk. Sessions like these help newcomers settle in faster.

The post-lunch "wake-up" cup

After lunch, especially a big one, many people feel sleepy and find it hard to concentrate. It's very common and linked to the body's natural rhythm in the early afternoon. In Vietnam, many offices have a lunch break during which people grab a 15- or 20-minute nap.

A coffee at this point helps many people feel alert again. Some even drink coffee just before a short nap, because caffeine takes a while to kick in — they jokingly call it a "coffee nap".

Quick or phin?

Office workers usually choose a method based on the time they have:

• Instant coffee — the fastest, just add hot water. Good for busy mornings or back-to-back meetings.
• Phin — takes a few minutes but gives a strong cup, and doubles as a short break from the screen.
• From the café downstairs — convenient, lots of choice, and an excuse to stretch your legs.
• Brewed ahead and chilled — some people make a jug in the morning to drink through the day.

Drinking in moderation

Sitting in an air-conditioned office all day, many people drink more coffee than water. A few small habits keep coffee from working against your day:

• Drink water between cups of coffee.
• Don't drink it too late in the day if you often have trouble sleeping.
• Keep an eye on your total caffeine. Healthy adults are generally advised to keep to no more than about 400 mg of caffeine a day (EFSA and FDA). Pregnant women and people with health conditions should cut down and talk to a doctor.
• Watch the sugar and milk if you drink several milk coffees a day.
• Get up and walk when you go to make coffee — a good way to look away from the screen.

From office to café

Many office workers also take their work to a café, turning it into a "second office" — the subject of The Coffee Shop as a Workplace. The next article in this series is about coffee for people who start and run their own businesses.